[Taiwan Diving · Dylan Chen Column] 4 Essential Courses You Must Know Before Becoming a Dive Instructor

Before your course begins, you need an Instructor Development Course (IDC) guide!

I will never forget the first day I walked into the dive instructor class. The moment I picked up the schedule, it looked as dense and complex to me as calculus. I couldn't imagine how it was possible to complete so many items in just a few days — let alone understand and apply them all to future dive instruction. Time never seemed enough. I had to prepare my own teaching demonstrations while also absorbing new content every single day. For me back then, it was a tremendous challenge.

I have been a PADI (certification agency) dive instructor for over 15 years, and I still remember the pressure I felt when preparing for the instructor course. My goal since then has been to refine my teaching approach — to deliver instruction in the most effective way possible, so that candidates understand the IDC examination process and gain the confidence to become great dive instructors ready to face future challenges. All of that requires careful planning and design.

"The Instructor Development Course Lets You See a Different Side of Yourself"

At first, everything will feel incredibly demanding. The curriculum is highly diverse. But through systematic training, candidates of different backgrounds can learn and grow at the pace that suits them best.

The IDC Course Guide:

The Instructor Development Course is divided into four main phases: the Preparatory Course, the Standard Course, the Teaching Practicum, and the Practical Course.

The Preparatory Course gives instructor candidates time to absorb and consolidate everything they have previously learned. A well-structured learning environment and an experienced Course Director help them grow in a methodical way. The Teaching Practicum allows each candidate to express their individual teaching style. Beyond the development course itself, ongoing growth and mentorship are equally important.

Preparatory Course

Before the formal course begins, candidates review relevant material. The main components include: online IDC learning, review of five core theory knowledge areas, how to use the Instructor Manual, Divemaster-level scuba skills demonstrations, and rescue skills review. These exercises help you hit the ground running once the formal IDC starts — reducing the time spent figuring things out on your own and maximising your learning outcomes. A good course should begin the day you decide to enrol.

IDC Standard Course:

The IDC Standard Course is designed to give you a thorough understanding of instructor teaching topics and the future direction of the industry. It covers three areas for systematic learning:

1. Introduction to the PADI (certification agency) System — Understanding PADI (certification agency) teaching systems, standards, and procedures to give you a clear picture of the overall PADI (certification agency) framework.

2. Career Development and the Future of the Industry — From first introducing people to diving, keeping divers engaged in the sport, raising broader awareness of scuba diving, establishing yourself as a member of the dive industry, and — most importantly — risk management.

3. Course Descriptions — An overview of courses the instructor is qualified to conduct: the Open Water Diver (PADI/SSI cert) course, the Adventure Diver course, the Rescue Diver (PADI cert) course, and the Divemaster (PADI cert) course, with a clear understanding of the key teaching objectives of each.

Teaching Practicum:

The second part of the IDC is candidate-led instruction. Its primary purpose is to develop candidates' teaching experience and assess whether they meet PADI (certification agency) requirements. These are also examination components, of course, so understanding the key points of each item is non-negotiable.

1. Knowledge Development Teaching Demonstration — In simple terms, this involves preparing a short presentation of around 10 minutes on a focused sub-topic, following PADI (certification agency) assessment criteria. However, what I really want candidates to do is express their own style — leave classmates and examiners with one memorable takeaway that reflects your intended message, rather than simply ticking the scoring rubric.

2. Confined Water Teaching — Planning a pool lesson. Through training, you will learn to break down a skill into its component steps and key points, then verbally guide students through how to perform it. Finally, you will be able to document your instruction in written form, turning it into a replicable standard that can be applied to all your day-to-day teaching: behavioural objectives, skill value, step-by-step explanation, unified signals and commands, and logistics for participants and venue. This exercise had a profound impact on me.

3. Conducting Open Water Training Dives — There is a great deal to manage during actual ocean training dives: coordinating assistant instructors, establishing underwater communication protocols, organising and controlling the group, and being mindful of the marine environment. Combining instruction for students at different levels within a single dive requires constant attention. The ocean also introduces many variables — visibility, current, wave conditions, bottom composition — all of which must be factored into your teaching plan and will reshape how you think about managing a team.

Practical Course:

This component helps instructor candidates quickly acquire industry-relevant skills, such as: underwater photography courses, equipment repair specialties, BAUER compressor orientation, résumé workshops, dive brand knowledge, and social media management. The goal is to help candidates enter the dive industry faster and gain a competitive edge over others. More business-related content may be added in the future — perhaps sales skills, communication, or presentation design. Whatever helps you become a better instructor, I will do my best to incorporate and try.

Being a professional means finding a way to make people understand in an instant.

Before every course, I still find myself tweaking the curriculum, hoping to help candidates grasp the full scope of the IDC more intuitively. The content is highly complex, there are a great many teaching demonstrations, and every module brings a completely new challenge. At the beginning, it is natural to feel lost. If candidates can first understand the overall structure of the course, preparation becomes considerably less daunting. The Instructor Development Course is like a box of LEGO — you absolutely must read the instructions first, otherwise you have no idea where to begin, and you are likely to make mistakes or waste a great deal of unnecessary time. But as long as you are willing to follow the steps one by one, even the most complex build can be completed smoothly.

Give yourself more time to prepare and make sure you have fulfilled all the prerequisites for becoming an instructor. The formal course is an intensive one-month training, but in truth, the course begins the day you decide to enrol. Passing the instructor examination, however, is not the end — it is the beginning of your journey toward becoming the instructor you have always envisioned. I believe that journey never truly stops.

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